The Celtics enter Monday night’s matchup with Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans with a 10-10 record and a sixth-place standing in the Eastern Conference.
In essence, they have been the Forever .500 Hartford Whalers of the NBA this season, which is not quite what was envisioned when they were proclaimed the preseason favorite to win the at last LeBron-less Eastern Conference.
The biggest issue is a rudimentary one: They have shot the ball terribly, with only Daniel Theis better 50 percent from the field this season. But it is far from the only issue, with the struggle to cohesively meld a collection of talent into a true team being perhaps the most troubling problem.